A Way Back into Love
by georgie4puppies
Summary: This story begins where J.K. has left us. Just after the final battle, Harry goes up t the common room. What will happen next? And can things between him and Ginny ever be fixed?


Chapter 1...

Harry wanted to talk to Ginny. He needed to talk to her. But he was so tired. He was just climbing the steps to the newly cleaned and tidied Gryffindor tower, from Dumbledore's old office. He supposed it was Professor McGonagall's now that Snape was dead. Snape. Harry still couldn't believe it, any of it. He still couldn't believe that Snape was good, that Dumbledore had fixed his own death, even that he, Harry James Potter, had defeated the darkest wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort , just moments after he had sacrificed himself to him and then he had proceeded to take down some of his death eaters. He felt proud of himself, but scared and upset too. He couldn't believe it was over, the hunt for the horcruxes, the battle, the prophecy. He had won. But he had lost too, he had lost Tonks and Lupin just as over the years he had lost his parents and Sirius, Dumbledore and lots of other people who had died fighting to save him. Fred, he had lost Fred. Fred. Ginny. Ginny had lost Fred; did this mean he had lost Ginny as well? The thought of it was just unbearable. He remembered Mrs. Weasley had killed Bellatrix Lestrange in defence of her only daughter. Dumbledore was right; love was always his strongest weapon just as it had been for Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. He remembered that it was his love for Ginny that had kept him going throughout his hunt for the horcruxes and her kiss had been his last thought as Voldemort had killed him. He had to tell her this...... but how? And what if she didn't feel the same? What would he do then? Lots of questions filled his mind but he pushed them all out of the way, he had to tell Ginny that he loved her and understood her. He pushed open the door of the common room after passing the rather drunk fat lady and her friends, who were celebrating his victory, he was told rather loudly by the woman next to her.

He entered the common room slowly and quietly and he was not prepared for the fact that the room was shaking with the loud applause he was receiving. Every single student that had stayed to fight was packed into the common room, waiting for him and all the staff were there cheering. Harry groaned inwardly, of course he was grateful for their congratulations and the drinks that were being handed out and all the hands clapping his back and for the comfortable arm chair he was gently pushed into, but right now all he wanted was a big hug from Ginny and then to go to his nice comforting bed. He looked around desperately trying to find Ginny, to get at least half of his wish completed but he couldn't see her in the crowd. Now he thought about it, he couldn't see any of the Weasleys, but he knew for a fact that only one member of their family was dead. So where were they? His heart leapt as he saw a flash of violently red hair move between the drinks table to the sofa, but it was only Ron holding hands with Hermione. Although he was happy to see his friends he couldn't hide his disappointment at the fact that now he would have to talk to someone and that someone was not Ginny.

"Hey mate.... we wondered where you got to after we all left Dumbl--- um McGonagall's office." Ron said above the noise of the celebrations. He had forced a smile but Harry could see the pain in his eyes. Harry looked at Hermione, she was holding on to Ron's arm in affectionate and comforting way, her head resting on his shoulder. Suddenly Harry felt a wave of pain hit him, at least Ron and Hermione had each other, if he didn't have Ginny he had nothing.

"Yeah....I just walked slower than you guys I guess." He replied lamely. He didn't want to tell them that he had walked in the other direction on purpose to get away from everyone and had used all his knowledge of the school secret passageways and shortcuts looking for Ginny. Harry knew there were no words to describe the mixture of emotions that everyone, including him was feeling. The pain of losing loved ones, the elation that the war and hell and fear were finally over and they had won. "Um... have you seen Ginny?" he asked hopefully. Ron shook his head but Hermione looked away awkwardly. "Hermione?" he said suspiciously.

"Harry, no offence, but you look really tired. Maybe you should go to bed before you try and find her TOMMOROW." She had put emphasis on that last word. But he was tired, he admitted inwardly and so he allowed Hermione to chivvy him upstairs and into the 7th year boys' dormitory whilst he only half listened to her words of comfort and assurance that Ginny had probably already retired to her bed. Harry fell into a deep and dreamless sleep almost as soon as he had clambered into his four poster bed and settled his head on the comforting pillow............

***

"What was all that about, Mione?" Ron asked her quietly, after she had returned from escorting Harry upstairs.

Hermione did not even attempt to hide the truth from her new boyfriend, "It's about Ginny." She sighed "I had seen her but..... Well I don't think she wants to really talk to Harry at the moment."

Ron looked taken aback at these unexpected words and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, then finally gave up and leaned in towards his girlfriend conspiratorially "Um, Mione..... I thought that she was like in love with Harry?" Hermione sighed.

"Boys!" she said despairingly. When Ron still looked confused she laughed and grabbed his arm. "Come on Ronald!" and she dragged him away from the party, away from the cheers for the boy who had left to sleep in peace ten minutes before and up to the 7th floor where they both knew they would find extremely comfortable beds with fluffy pillows, the perfect place to dream their separate dreams, away from the noise, in peace.

Chapter 2 TEARS AND RAIN

Harry woke the next morning feeling warm and refreshed, he had slept well. He heard the noise of his roommates all talking to each other, a sound he had missed during the time he was away from the hustle and bustle of Hogwarts life. He opened his eyes and lazily put on his glasses and then sat up in his bed.

"Hey Harry!" said Neville excitedly.

"Hey Neville, guys." He replied as his eyes searched the room, he nodded. Everyone was here that he had wanted Neville and Ron, Seamus and he was surprised to find Dean, who although he completely hated him for being with Ginny first, he felt that perhaps they could be friends. Ginny! He smacked his slightly dizzy head. He hadn't spoken to her! He racked his brains and remembered everything that had happened yesterday, the last horcruxes gone, seeing Neville and Ginny, the battle over as Voldemort died, Hermione telling him that he should go to bed, the furtive look in her eye when he asked about Ginny............. Ginny! He had to talk to her! He jumped out of bed and grabbed his clothes and started throwing them on. "Ron, you seen Ginny yet? He asked his best friend. Ron shrugged his shoulders awkwardly and Harry thought he saw a glimpse of the look he had seen in Hermione's eyes the evening before in Ron's but he shook it off in his excitement that he and the girl of his dreams had survived everything that fate had thrown at them. He figured as he descended the stairs towards the common room with his roommates following him, that everyone else was at breakfast. He found that when he voiced this opinion it was met with agreement from his friends, he wondered idly if this was the way things would always be, now that he had defeated Voldemort. He hoped not and although Harry was proud of himself he was still that modest boy he had been when he found out at the age of eleven that he was a wizard and was known as "The Boy Who Lived". He didn't want all this fuss, unless that fuss came from a certain witch whose fussing was hugs and kisses.........

So the boys walked hurriedly down to the Great Hall, Harry thinking of Ginny, Ron of Hermione and the others of the food that they were about to eat. They walked into the Great Hall, the place where the darkest wizard of all time had been brought down by a teenage boy, with messy black hair, sparkling green eyes and a scar shaped like a bolt of lightning, caused by that very wizard who had abused his power and had hurt both those beneath and above it. There was a huge round of applause as they walked in and sat with Hermione, who was in deep conversation with Mr. Weasley and Ginny, the latter quickly moved down to let her brother sit next to his girlfriend, and carefully avoided Harry's gaze by looking towards the platform where the staff were sat. Ginny was lucky because just as she did, Professor McGonagall stood up to make a speech and so Harry didn't notice Ginny's awkwardness.

"Well first of all I would like to say a big congratulations and commiserations to you all..." Professor McGonagall started with words which were so reminiscent of Professor Dumbledore that Harry felt his eyes well up. "It must be said that although we have won this Great War, we have also lost many friends and family members, who died fighting to save us. A proper funeral will be held next weekend for these people....." Professor McGonagall proceeded to list the names of these people and Harry felt his eyes well up again. On Fred's name he saw Ginny break down, he saw her remove the hand over her mouth that had so far stifled her sobs on Tonks' and Lupin's, he saw her beautiful brown eyes overfill with pain, he saw them try to blink away the tears that had so far fallen into her beautiful red hair, he saw George get up from his seat and put his arm around his only sister, he saw her grip George tight to her, and he felt his heart explode with pain. He whispered her name and saw her look up at the soft sound. He smiled at her, letting her know he was there for her, but Ginny shook her head and turned back into George, who had now been joined by their parents and other brothers and Hermione. They were all holding on tight to each other and Harry realised that he felt awkward on his own, but that is what he was, wasn't it? Mrs Weasley looked up and gestured for him to join them with a watery faint smile. Without even thinking about it he joined the Weasleys and Hermione in the group hug that seemed to be the only thing holding Ginny together.

After Professor McGonagall had finished this extremely wise and thought provoking speech that she had thought about for so long, she looked around at the broken families, many of whom were grouped together like the Weasleys and Harry and Hermione, raised her wand and pointed it towards the bewitched ceiling of the Great Hall, which Hermione had told Harry and Ron about in their first year which seemed so long ago now, though it was only seven years it seemed strange as they had all been through so much since that first day. And with one simple swish of that wand the sky changed from a sunny blue, to represent the end of the battle, to a most beautiful rain. This rain fell down as slowly and gracefully as the new headmistress herself as she walked down from the platform that had once belonged to Professors Dumbledore and Snape and many others before them, and sat down in that chair, which they too had sat in. So the tears of the survivors for their loved ones mixed with the rain that was surely the tears of those above who they were grieving for.

Additional characters:

Professor Hale – new defence against the dark arts teacher at Hogwarts after battle

Toby- a rival for Ginny's affections for Harry. A young buck who has just joined the order after the battle.

My First Ever Fanfiction!!!!!

Basically this story aims to fill the gap between the end of the battle and the 19 years later bit in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows!

~WARNING~ Contains spoilers from all Harry Potter books (mainly the last one) and i do not own any of the characters that you have hear of before (e.g. Harry, Ginny, Dean) but the plot of this story and some additional characters (e.g. Proffesor Hale, Toby) belong to me.

Harry realises that he still has feelings for Ginny. Very strong feelings. But what will happen when he tells her? Will she feel the same? Can they ever go out again? has war and death ruined something this special forever or will someone else get in the way?

Please rate and review!!!!! Xxx

New chapter name ideas:

She will be loved

Home

Breakaway

Breathless

No u Hang up

Yesterday

The Winner Takes it all

Chiquitita


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